by Cynthia Chow, Sandra Murphy & Joan Leotta

We start the new year with another fun group of mysteries-Snow Place for Murder: A Mountain Lodge Mystery by Diane Kelly, Caught on the Book: An Antique Bookshop Mystery by Laura Gail Black, Forgotten Trail by Claire Kells, and Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 4 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

Snow Place for Murder: A Mountain Lodge Mystery by Diane Kelly
Review by Cynthia Chow

It’s the winter season, and North Carolina mountain lodge owner Misty Murphy is thrilled that her college-attending sons will be visiting for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. And since their divorce was about as conscious uncoupling and friendly as one could be, Misty doesn’t mind that her ex-husband Jack will be accompanying them. Jack’s first meeting with Misty’s new boyfriend does go a little awkwardly though, with Jack knocking on her bedroom door with a bottle of wine only to discover that Rockford Crowder already had the same idea. Once that is out of the way, they all take advantage of the season with Misty’s sons joining Rock’s daughter on the slopes for snowboarding and warm meals by the fire. Misty still has to attend to her guests though, as venture capitalist Nigel Goodwin has come all the way from London to host prospective investors in his next development.

Misty is a little worried about what a new resort could do to the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, but her concern is nothing compared to that of environmentalist/photographer/researcher Gus Bingenheimer. Things take a dire turn when Jack Jr. and Mitch Murphy discover what they have yet to realize is a nose on the slopes, with the rest of Nigel Goodwin’s body buried under the snow. It doesn’t take long for police to discover that the investor was frozen even before he was buried, meaning that his death was not an accident and that one of Misty’s guests could be a murderer.

The occasional chapters narrated by Misty’s fluffy white feline Yeti always provide unique (yet very cat-like) observations, keeping the novel grounded in reality. The Murphy and Crowder family meals provide an immense amount of relatable humor, and readers will be wanting more of the brief appearances by Phoebe “Pebbles” Crawford. Unexpectedly fascinating are Misty’s responsibilities running the lodge, not to mention the laws regarding guest privacy and lack thereof. The writing is always clever and filled with humorous dialogue, and Misty continues to be an extraordinarily likable character. She is probably the most relatable heroine of Diane Kelly’s many hilarious novels, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t just as compelling. These snow-filled adventures leading up to Misty’s Christmas celebration ensure that this is the perfect cozy read to snuggle up with and enjoy for the holiday season.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Caught on the Book: An Antique Bookshop Mystery by Laura Gail Black
Review by Cynthia Chow

It’s the John J. Hokes Bass Festival in Hokes Folly, North Carolina, and Twice Upon a Time antiquarian bookstore owner Jenna Quinn is hoping that her booth of fish-themed books will attract a new customer base. While she’s there she has a confrontation with retired police detective Frank Sutter, the former partner of her boyfriend Keith Logan, who has determinedly attempted to arrest her a number of times.

Frank angrily accuses them both of being the cause of his forced retirement, which resulted in the loss of his house and his new wife. They’re not the only ones to face his wrath though, as Frank later punches out Gregory Hurst, a visiting novelist who also happens to be dating Frank’s estranged wife, Emma. When Emma Sutter later finds Greg’s body stabbed to death with a cheese knife, Frank immediately becomes the prime suspect and Keith is shut out of the case. To Jenna’s disbelief, Keith still believes in Frank’s innocence despite his recent erratic behavior and goes so far as to ask Jenna to investigate. That Frank doesn’t want her help isn’t that much of a surprise, but after a series of medical incidents land him in the hospital and even Emma stands by his side, Jenna doesn’t feel that she has a choice.

Once Jenna begins looking into Greg’s past it doesn’t take long to discover a plethora of candidates with reasons to want him dead. It seems that the writer had a history of taking advantage of young women seeking his mentorship and advice, not only lying to them but stealing their manuscripts entirely. While librarian Emma may not have been as susceptible to his manipulations, others were not so lucky and retaliated by stalking, harassing him on social media, and egging his property. When similarly attacked, Jenna steps up her investigation by blatantly snooping through people’s homes in order to discover evidence and reveal the killer.

This fourth in the series delivers a satisfying mystery that blends together crimes in the publishing world, blackmail, and competitive fishing scandals. Always ready with a quirky food-related explicative – bologna on a bagel and chocolate dipped okra on a taco are just a few examples – Jenna has a chance to use a number of them when caught tampering with evidence on her mission to find the truth. Emma’s unhappiness as a cop’s wife only reinforces Jenna’s own concern over her relationship with Keith, although she believes that she is far more prepared for life with a law enforcement officer. Jenna’s bookstore employees and friends all have their own moments to shine, often enabling her snooping and adding their own comedic viewpoints. This is a very fun read for mystery fans looking for an entertaining adventure that delves into the darker side of publishing.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Forgotten Trail by Claire Kells
Review by Sandra Murphy

Special Agent Felicity Harland of the Investigative Services Branch is working cold cases when she’s called to investigate a dead body at the new Pinnacles Grand Hotel, located in a national park in her jurisdiction. Of course, the hotel wants to keep a low profile so guests aren’t frightened away before the hotel is barely open. There’s a delay in calling the death in, the room is not secure, and the circumstances are anything but usual. There’s also an almost five-mile hike through the forest to get to the hotel where guests are expected to be off the grid.

Chris, the victim, is with someone who is not his wife. His wife is there too, in her own room, to confront him. Her private investigator told her where to find Chris. Even though his wife was found standing over his body, she claims to be innocent.

As far as his traveling companion goes, she’s missing. Her clothes and everything else are gone. They do find a clue near the room’s balcony and find a single high-heeled shoe. Does it belong to her?

There were murders in the area years ago. Is the current murder tied to the unsolved case? It seems the clues are tangled in a nearly impossible knot. Can Felicity and her partner solve the crime before the killer strikes again?

This is book three in the series and the first one I’ve read. The mystery was a good one with clues and red herrings to puzzle the reader, descriptions of the national park, and a potential relationship between Felicity and her partner. The national park setting is a refreshing change, especially since Felicity isn’t assigned to just one park. I look forward to reading about her future exploits.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James
Review by Joan Leotta

Opening this book, I fell into a time machine. After a brief stint in the first couple of chapters set in New York, where we meet Annie Laurence, we are thrust into the wild and woolly era of 1943 Hollywood when all was done but all had to be kept secret. Once we arrive in Hollywood, the book proceeds at a pace and with the flavor of a late 1930s, early ’40s movie.

Laurence, our protagonist, is a successful New York playwright, lately of the mystery genre, at the book’s opening, However, a disaster in her personal life and the closing of her latest stage endeavor sends her westward bound on a train after a Hollywood studio offers her a job as a screenwriter. How different can writing for movies be from writing for stage, she reasons.

Without friends, Laurence accepts a suggestion from the studio head’s assistant to volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen (a real place) where she will be able to rub shoulders with other volunteers and maybe make friends. The list of folks making sandwiches for soldiers and dancing with them includes Hollywood A-Listers, so Laurence heads off to do her best for America’s best and maybe make some new friends.

She had not counted on witnessing a murder on the first night—especially the murder of a nasty critic who made her New York life miserable. So she both discovers the body and becomes a suspect—both of which lead her to try to investigate the crime on her own.

The Hollywood microcosm dominates all else. James has done meticulous research and it shows. Lots of great detail of home front life (in the movieland microcosm), from shortages to people taking on roles they did not want or were not the best for, due to the best folk having been drafted. James provides era-appropriate dialogue, but one part of the story I had a bit of trouble with.

Laurence quickly (too quickly for me) becomes an accepted member of a group of highflyers, hard drinkers, actors, and writers, some of whom she suspects of killing the critic and others whom she enlists to help her in her quest. The police enter the scene but pale in comparison to the Hollywood types. This is where my “suspension of belief” failed me. I simply could not believe that she was accepted so quickly into the group and gained their confidence. Hey, I admit, this is Hollywood and evidently at that time, a glam girl in a great dress, sexy, beautiful, and who drinks as if prohibition had ended just the day before, can do anything—as long as she is not caught violating her studio’s Morals Clause that bans everything from homosexuality to dating across racial lines.

James is a fine plotter. The tale’s twists and turns kept me from guessing who killed the thoroughly unlikeable critic. But while the fast formation of friendships helped the story gallop ahead, it was a bit too far and fast for me. Great fun for fans of the silver screen in the WWII era when the Studio System was in high gear and studio bosses ruled the roost.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of all 4 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “new year catchup” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 13, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. She performs tales of food, family, strong women. Internationally published as an essayist, poet, short story writer, and novelist, she’s a two-time Pushcart nominee, and twice a Best of the Net nominee. In she was a 2022 runner-up in Robert Frost Competition. Her work appears in Ekphrastic Review, Verse Visual, Verse Virtual, anti-heroin chic, Gargoyle, Active Muse, Silver Birch, Yellow Mama, Mystery Tribune, One Art, MacQueen’s Quinterly and others. Her poetry chapbooks are Languid Lusciousness with Lemon and Feathers on Stone. She is on the Board of the London Arts Based Research Centre and is an area representative for the North Carolina Writers Network.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.